July 25, 2011 3:06 pm

While I agree with the letter writer that sales taxes are regressive, I disagree with his view about paying taxes for services such as public transportation. Such services support the common good.

I don’t use public transportation to get to work, and I’m fortunate to have income to afford gas and the maintenance of a car. I voted for the sales tax increase for Pierce Transit because I knew that a decrease in public transportation services would impact people who rely on them, such as those with disabilities.

I will also vote for the increase to fund the 911 dispatching agency and upgraded police and fire departments’ radio systems because we benefit from them as a community. Similarly, I vote for school maintenance and operations levies. I don’t have children but educated community members benefit all of us so I consistently vote yes for these measures.

I hope all of us stop and think about the consequences if we think only of these services in the context of our individual needs.

Feeds

I think the sticky point here is that plenty of people don’t think a new 911 system would truly be for the common good. It’s being sold as such by those in unincorporated Pierce County, but to the several municipalities who have already invested in the federally mandated upgrades it would be wasteful. Who has money to waste?

What advice do you have for others in the area who don’t share your good fortune and are struggling to make ends meet? Would you impose additional taxes on these people even if it means they will be unable to pay their mortgages, rent payments, utility bills, and property taxes? Maybe you could provide your mailing address so people forced out of their homes by your wonderful display of progressivism will be able to send you a thank you note.

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